Spirals of Insanity
by KatinBox
Summary: BB and L. You could call them many things. Doppelganger and original. Predator and prey. But has there been a time whereas L hasn't lit up upon? - BB and L, no Yaoi -
1. Chapter I: Timeless

_** Have you thought I vanished? Of course I haven't. Although I'm going back on one of my vows not **_**_to publish a story with another ongoing story, especially one that needs a finished title like Seeing is Believing, this little plot occurred in the back of my mind a week ago and never left me to be. So I gave in and started this, on a little play of my two favorite Death Note characters- L Lawliet and Beyond Birthday. Does that mean this is the only thing I'm going to work on? Much to say, no, not at all. It's going to depend on which gets the most popularity, and what I'm in the mood to write in. As you will notice, this is going to have a more common form of writing on here, much different than my more traditional and laid back style of Seeing is Believing. I'm still debating on weither or not this will become my main form of writing from now on. Apologies for the long author's note as well, read, review, you know the drill. Thank you. And I do not own anything mentioned in this story except the writing piece itself._**

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**Spirals of Insanity**

_Chapter I: Timeless_

Beyond Birthday was never truly insane.

Maniac, and mass murder were some of his traits, but he never was really "out of his mind". He always thought clear as a bell, even in the tightest of situations, such as his ultimate failure of suicide in the LABB murder cases. He was also a genius that rivaled the world's greatest detective. But there was one tiny, saturated fact about the murderer that seemed to keep reminding him that he wasn't like other humans.

That he was simply _different_, and that fact would never change. He saw through only two colors- that of blood and death. He knew your name before you introduced yourself. He knew the day, hour, and second of which you would die, something humans, by nature, would never want to hear.

Some would say that it was this about Beyond that had pushed him over the edge. Knowing that his mother would die in a train accident when he was five – before the child knew what the dwindling numbers above his parent's heads meant. Or what would happen when that clock hit zero. He believed everyone could see the same way he did. He would ask other children in his preschool if they, too, could see the numbers. But his question was soon answered as each boy and girl would give him a stray look before turning away, some running from him. It was bad enough his eyes were of a crimson flower.

And as thus, BB grew distant from others, having learnt that he was different from the normal. It came to be that he was more intelligent as well, but that was overruled with the guilt he felt for having such a curse cast over him. Even then, when his father's numbers suddenly arranged themselves into only hundreds when he was six, he tried everything in his power to save him. Played dodgy, kept him indoors at the best of his whim. But he couldn't stop him from walking down the street to the grocery store for much needed food for himself and his son. It was then that he was attacked and killed in a mugging gone awry.

And that was the day the young child learned what zero meant above a person's head.

But I would be wasting my precious time if I included every little detail about his childhood; so I shall skip to the first day he stepped foot into Whammy's House for the Gifted.

At that date in time, Beyond was exactly eight. He knew of his eyes and their extent, and as such tried his utmost best to stay distant from other while giving into his studies, trying to contain the differential fact inside him. But that was before he was introduced to the resident living in the attic.

On their first meeting, Beyond wasn't expecting much of the orphan, but that was before he saw him firsthand. The boy that was slightly older then him, wearing a plain white shirt and blue jeans two sizes too big with the raven, unruly hair, and his eyes. The color of onyx, a color he had not seen before nor expected.

"I assume you're B," he introduced, his voice sounding distracted as he limbered down from the foldable stairs to the attic.

Beyond hastily nodded, blinking. They looked so alike even at their premature ages some could've have said they were brothers, but that certainly wasn't the case. The older boy gave a glance, making eye contact. "I'm L, nice to meet you." He spoke, a pale hand scratching his head absently.

That was their first and most lengthy meeting. L took on the aide of humoring his genius with solving crime, and at his age with the help of Quillish Wammy, his caretaker and owner of the orphanage. There wasn't a long period of time – only a few years before his success as a detective turned the House upside down, into a miniature detective farm. There was originally three, named after the English alphabet.

A, a talkative and social blonde once called Andy Applegate, was the first child introduced on becoming L's successor. He was taken in when he was seven, and it would only be six years later before he would commit suicide due to the reassuring pressure.

B, a distant and genius raven that was known to most of the House still by his real name that he subsequently forced into other orphan's heads with his high grades and rumors, and goofy, but evil smirk in the face of trouble, Beyond Birthday. He was eight when introduced to the House as the second plausible successor for L. Eleven years later, at the age of nineteen, he would run away and a month after, the LABB murders stirred.

C, otherwise known as Cecelia Crest was an intelligent female that wasn't one for rumors or long conversation was a brunette that was not trifled with by most residents at the orphanage, and that was mostly because when forced to crack, she would pack a punch. She was sixteen when B had run away, and a day after, she utterly vanished from the earth, never to be seen again to this day.

But I would be betraying my first morals while I had planned to write this if I included each child's little endeavors during their time at the House. My story, of which I was bothered enough to write on this god forsaken thing called paper in my, and the human world shall be the memories I have of Beyond Birthday and L Lawliet. Their spirals of insanity once called a game. And although my memories may be contorted with the residue of age, I lost a pair of eyes for it and most will be true. Moving on, shall we?

All the while when L was riding his growing fame in the detective community, his second successor, Beyond, had drastically changed since the first time they had met. But, L was barely around to see B's transformation.

He didn't notice when Beyond had decided that when, because he was different from others as a whole and unique human being, never socially accepted nor truly respected for his intelligence, became bent on becoming a copy of a original. And that just happened to be L.

He didn't notice when he took up his habits of eating nothing but sweets, or as going as far to occasionally put his thumb to the left side of his mouth while deep in thought, or taking up sitting in the peculiar way he always did. He was too busy with his line of work to know that what might have been a close friend and partner was becoming his doppelganger.

Their last meeting at the House was much unexpected. L was in the library, enjoying a book on the human circulatory system that was dust and off-brown, exactly three days before he would graduate the orphanage at fifteen. It was silent as quite darkened in the area, except for the required light for reading without straining his eyes.

So it was obvious enough when he heard the crack in the carpet, as if someone was shifting their feet in front of him. The young detective looked up slowly, his onyx eyes gleaming. What he saw, at first, appeared to be himself. Then he knew whom it was. "B? What are you doing up this late?" He asked the figure, startled, but his voice stayed bleak and monotonous.

Beyond simply shifted his weight on another foot. "I have a question, L," the younger youth started, "and I need you to answer me." He spoke, his black t-shirt moving lightly.

The older boy was intrigued of what he had to speak of. "Yes, what is it?" He replied, his eyes on Beyond's.

Beyond sighed once. "Could you consider me your friend, to speak of?" The imitator's voice rang inside L's head, but it never seemed to bother him.

"As a successor and partner, yes, I could."

"But do you mean it?"

"How so?"

"As a true friend that you would trust?"

". . . Yes."

"Then, I'll let you know of this, Lawliet." Beyond told him, using his real name to prove his point, of which was, to test what L had just told him.

To say the least, L was surprised. There was only one person other then himself that knew his real name, and he was sure Wammy wouldn't tell it to B under any circumstances. "I beg your pardon?" He asked after a moment of silence, but Beyond was already gone.

And just like that, the games of fire and ice had begun. But this could be considered nothing more than a prologue, a short definition of what I'm about to write. And if anyone were to stumble upon these notes, I should at least give you some hint to who I am. But I won't, at least until I am finished. Only then will you realize it. But should that time come before I become bored, I will be appalled. Now, enough stalling.

_October 31st, 2003._

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**_Now, I know the idea of BB and L going at it during a time break in the series has been done before. I'm aware of it, but I want to add my personal flair and touch to the cliche. So reviews would be helpful and great to my motivation, good or bad. And please don't eat me alive for my use of a hell of a lot of timeskips in this, I'm already kicking my own ass for it._**


	2. Chapter II: Broadcasts

_**Well, considering the fact that people are reading this, I believe that I -might- make this my main project for the moment. I know I said I would work on both SiB and this evenly, but I've had a surge of inspiration for this, much different than SiB. I will finish it though, just not right now, unless people ask for it.

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**Spirals of Insanity**

_Chapter II: Broadcasts_

It was the dead creak of the night in a sleepy town called Winchester, England that it had occurred. The town was also home to the world's greatest detective, whom was busy working in times that many people would have required sleep. But, he wasn't like other humans. He was different, and many would call him a "freak" rather then have respect for who he was. But the acclaim was directed at only a letter, an alias.

In his small apartment, it was dark and rather silent. There was only two vigils of light in the living room- that of a blue hue of a television tuned in onto the late night local news, and a more white-ish tint coming from a white laptop on the coffeetable in front of a used khaki colored couch. The detective was busy at work; typing away at his laptop, only occasionally stopping for a sip of tea.

Then it happened.

His television blinked out for a momentary second before blurring into static. This subsequently caused noise, and L looked up to see what was happening. The news report that was on previously was now replaced with a black calligraphy L. He squinted, but then he realized it wasn't an L. It was a B, in the same font he used.

There was a crackling noise in the background, as if someone was calibrating a microphone. Then the static stopped, and he heard laughing. It was clear as day, even for an altered, synthesized voice. L blinked once, twice. Could it be that Beyond Birthday had escaped and hacked through the television waves to send a broadcast to L? To warn him that his doppelganger was definitely back? His questions were soon answered.

"Ah yes, finally. ." The voice snickered to itself.

"It's appealing to meet you all. I am B, better known as Beyond Birthday." It introduced, still lightly giggling amongst itself.

"I was put away in an asylum for the murder of three people in the infamous Wara Ningyo murders. Remember me yet, L?" L couldn't believe it. He immediately closed the case file he was working on and checked to see if Beyond was still in his asylum.

"You can check if you wish, L, but that's beside the point. I have a little game I want you and I to play. A test of wits." The voice seemed to know his actions. L could only stare at the screen, waiting for the voice to speak again. He was sure BB would want revenge for letting L win their previous game only six months before.

"I may not know where you are. . L . . but I know you're watching this. You can either send a reply tape to this message within three days and air it on the same channel as I am. If you don't comply. ." There was more laughing at the other end.

"I'll let you figure out what happens. Oh and, before I go, I should at least give you a little summary of our game. It would only be fair. We will compete of who can catch the other first. If I win. . Well. . That's a secret. If you win, L, I'll be back in the happy asylum with a bow and tie on my neck. Good luck." And with a final laugh, the broadcast ended. It went back to scheduled programming.

L looked down at his work. BB was correct. As L looked through the pages of the asylum's patients, he noticed the lack of one with two identical initials. It had to be true. _B spoke of a battle of wits. . A game. I have no choice but to accept. He didn't include what would happen if I didn't – but I know what will. _L tried his best to make sense of the situation.

But as much as he attempted to think into it, he wasn't surprised by the fact Beyond had wanted this. L knew that attempting to draw his attention again through murder alone wasn't enough. He would just send another pawn to do get his hands dirty for him. So he had used the element of surprise and ultimatum to fish L out without much effort.

L knew this very well. It chilled him at the thought of losing their game, but he promised himself he would win. He always had, and that was proven for the time. Never once did the detective ever think differently at the time.

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So, three days later, L released his own reply tape, trying his best to sound appealing to the public. He wouldn't lose this.

"It has come to my knowledge that a mass serial killer known as Beyond Birthday wishes to challenge me to a game, or a battle of wits as he may call it after his due escape of a Los Angeles asylum." L had started the broadcast on the same channel, as Beyond requested.

"I do not wish to comply with his demands, but I, as L, will make sure that he will be placed back in prison, so, I am subsequently forced into it." L had explained to any innocent viewers watching. He had to place his words correctly.

"As such, I do not want any bloodshed by this, BB. But formals aside, I do accept your challenge." He finished short and sweet, knowing Beyond would get the picture. He cleared his throat as he turned his microphone off and the reply ended.

He sat in his peculiar form of sitting at his laptop. He had already contacted Watari before the broadcast started, and agreed that he would do this alone. After all, he was sure Beyond would do the same. L shifted sightly as he was was hit with a flashback.

"_Could you consider me your friend, to speak of?" Beyond had asked him in that library. Their last meeting in the House before L had graduated._

"_As a successor and partner, yes, I could." He would respond, unfazed by B's sudden question for friendship._

"_But do you mean it?" Beyond would ask, looking straight into his eyes._

"_How so?" He would reply, lightly confused by his doppelganger._

"_As a friend you would trust?" Beyond would elaborate, his voice sounding less and less like his normal voice._

"_. . . Yes."_

L blinked as he was transported back into reality. He stood up. "I will catch you, B." He said absently to himself. He leaned over in his slouch and picked up a file next to his laptop and skimmed through it. It was a file on the case he had been previously working on. He placed it back down. He would solve the case of his friend's insanity first.


	3. Chapter III: Round One

_**I've decided to give out theme songs for each chapter published in the author's note so that you will have some background music to the beat of the reading. Chapter I was 'Goodnight' by 'The Birthday Massacre' and Chapter II is any L's Theme in reverse. (Search on YouTube for it) And for the entire series, the theme song will be 'Sugar Cube' by 'Porcelain and The Tramps'. Note that there will be some repeats. This chapter is 'Looking Glass' by 'The Birthday Massacre'.

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**Sprials of Insanity**

_Chapter III: Round One_

Although Beyond Birthday was expecting most of the meat in L's response, he was completely estastic when it had happened. Even if he knew L had no choice in the matter, because the murderer had already picked more victims if he was left without a response. He stood up in the abandoned warehouse of his and moved over to a broken mirror hung up on one of the supporting poles. He looked through and frowned. He didn't look _enough _like the original.

His skin wasn't as porcelain pale as L's was, or when he had last saw in the flesh. The thought of that faithful meeting made BB's frown to a forced smile. He laughed his trademark snicker, of which sounded a cross of 'kya' and 'hyuk'. Much alike to a Shinigami's laugh in comparison. "The cat will catch the canary soon. . Kyahahaha. . Mmm. . That's about right." He muttered under his breath, muffled by his said laughing. Beyond had a habit of practicing to laugh considerably, to experiment of which sounded the most insane and least civil.

He was contemplating on how to catch L in his snare. There could have been many ways, but he felt that playing his own game correctly was the best chance he would have. Besides, he didn't include that if one was to discover the other, he would know. An immediate draw of which he would overrule. An unwinnable game.

So he simply turned from the mirror and fetched his eye makeup from under his dingy bed that he had never used. Once he had found it under the pile of various things that he kept in store for the faithful day he would catch his mentor he slouched forward, still musing a grin amongst himself. He applied the makeup and scratched at it lightly to make jet black bags under his eyes, nearly identical to L's natural ones. The murderer then popped in black eye contacts. "And B's reward, of course!" He cackled after his completed his disguise. He shifted to his right and picked up an uneaten jar of strawberry jam. He threw the lid open and used his hands to scoop up more of the gooey substance, sucking his fingers.

The cat could relax to himself while the mouse did most of the work in his crimson eyes.

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However, the mouse wasn't complying with it very well.

Although L wanted Beyond behind bars, he had considered the fact that finding him and cornering him wasn't the smartest of ideas. BB was never one to be trustworthy, even in his own games. L had seen it from Naomi Misora. But he couldn't use her as his chess-piece once more, especially without the evidence Beyond had given him. A hint of some sort.

But his quest for answers was formidably answered three days – most likely a mock of the time it had taken him to give a reply to BB that a response was found in the ICPO database. It had been reserved for L himself, as there was a password to be given. L had thought over what could be the password, but then he remembered a certain thing the murderer had once told him he knew. With a click of six keys of his last name, the file opened up.

_To L –_

_I knew you didn't forget me. Having trouble finding me? Well, I can give you a little hint to help you with our game. As much as I'd give you an area to scour for me; I should just give you the city of which I'm in. Would be funner, right? I am currently in Miami, Florida. Even if I'm not too fond of the musty sea wind. See you soon, L._

_B_

The raven-haired man wasn't surprised that Beyond would be straightforward but never specific. Although, what did catch his eye that he wasn't being a cryptic as he could be, or at least from what L knew with the LABB murders. With a sour taste in his mouth, L didn't move as BB had planned.

Even then, BB had a plan for that as well. When L had input his password, he unknowingly gave his IP address to the server. Beyond had hacked into it and fetched the numbers he was looking for. He made quick work of unscrambling it and triangulating where L was. It was a rough estimate, but he could tell the detective was in northern England. Just what he required.

However, L wasn't that stupid to allow Beyond such an easy win. He had used a proxy on the server, leaving Beyond going to a place in the same country, but not the same area nor direction. Thus, L could easily take his time finding Beyond while BB had thought he had cornered him. There was a clear draw.

But L hadn't been counting on BB being one step ahead of him. The draw shifted to a win for the murderer when he had received a call on a cell phone he hadn't used for six months, directly used for contact with Naomi Misora. It was on the fifth line, so L immediately picked it up, knowing it would be untraceable.

"Ryuzaki speaking." He spoke into the phone, using his alias that he had obtained from Beyond. He heard a cinch on the other line and some static before it cleared. His voice was masked as much as L's was.

". . Using my own alias now? Such a thief, L." There was some laughing at the other line. L's onyx eyes narrowed.

"Backup, I am in no mood for your mind games." L responded harshly, but his voice was masked so it never shone through.

"Don't call me that. By the way, can I call you Sugar Cube?"

"No you may not."

"I'd thought you'd prefer it over Lawli."

". . ."

"Well, I should go now. I'd be stalling our game too far if I stayed talking to the canary." And with that, Beyond had hung up. L flipped the phone shut and placed it down on the coffeetable, still lightly bemused of how Beyond could've gotten the number and line correct. Then again, he wouldn't put it past him to have stalked Misora during the LABB case.

And so, the first round of the battle of fire and ice was completed. The winner? Fire.

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_**And yes, the narrator will be announcing the "winner" of each round of L's and B's game until they meet. It won't end when they do, either, but this will be slightly fast-paced so there will be small recaps.**_


	4. Chapter IV: Round Two

_**And I obtained my first review. Thank you for the complement, ChocolatPistol. Now, I would love if someone could rate my 'realistic' scale for L's and B's actions. I've been very finicky to attempt to get them in-character and reasonable for their character as much as possible. This chapter's theme is 'Phase' by 'Breaking Benjamin'. Note on short, short chapter, but this chapter WILL BE VERY important to read without getting lost.

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**Spirals of Insanity**

_Chapter IV: Round Two_

"_Using my own alias now? Such a thief, L."_

"_Backup, I am in no mood for your mind games."_

"_Don't call me that. By the way, can I call you Sugar Cube?"_

"_No you may not."_

"_I'd thought you'd prefer it over Lawli."_

"_. . ."_

"_Well, I should go now. I'd be stalling our game far too long if I stayed talking to the canary."_

L had always been disturbed by mirrors. Not because in some instances they contorted your shape of what some would find humorous to the eyes; but the deadly fact that you could see yourself. However, when you had an identical doppelganger on the loose, waiting for you to slip up and catch you in death's cold grip, mirrors were meant to be avoided.

In my opinion, of which is solely mine, I always felt this was a childish phobia when I had first witnessed it. But as I write this now, I finally understand the reasoning behind it. They always had a phobia, and it just so happened his was mirrors, only because of one single person, one that longed to see the day of this funeral.

However, never once was he actually fearful of B. He always foresaw his failure to be simply pathetic in goal as soon as his innocence was lost those years ago.

But their game that I had witnessed was much different from this philosophy.

L sat in his crouching perch as he would think over every possibility of where Beyond could be. He could've stayed back in his original spot, Miami, and wait for him to come out of impatience. Or he could have taken the offensive and went to England. It would've explained their phone conversation. Still, he contemplated that BB wasn't in either places. It would be too cliché. Beyond was brilliant enough not to make it obvious.

Then it hit him like a brick. He had to still be in Los Angeles. It would make enough sense for him not to move too far from "home". Then there was a surprising beep at his laptop. The detective looked down. "Ryuzaki, there has been a report that may be interesting to you. It doesn't concern B." A voice on his microphone instructed.

"Thank you, Watari. I will look into it." L responded in his monotone into his own microphone, picking it up with two fingers, his index and thumb. Placing it back down on the table in front of him, he looked at the report that had popped up on his laptop. _Unexplained heart attacks in only criminals. . Some speculating a deity known as Kira is responsible. . _L brought his thumb to the edge to his mouth. _Certainly interesting. The death toll is confirmed to be more then fifty. I'd like to see how these murders could be convicted. . _With that, he started typing, trying to find the first victim of the deaths.

It had come up to a report only seen in Japan of a criminal death without an explanation of a heart attack five days before. Kuro Otoharada was responsible for taking live hostages in a elementary school. When his identity was released to the public on a Japanese news station, he had a heart attack forty seconds later. This tipped off L for the killer being located somewhere in Japan. _Simple enough. This could get my mind off of B for once. _L confirmed.

_Some people are beginning to connect the heart attacks with Kira, a word deprived from the English word killer, to call the murderer. We are unsure if this is true, but there has been a rumor that the legendary detective L will take up the case. _A murderer read quietly in a newspaper in his warehouse. It wasn't long before there was a sharp cackle.

"Kya, looks like I won't have to work too hard to catch Sugar Cube now!" There was a demented glee in his voice as he re-read the lines on the report.

_Just wait, Sugar Cube. . You can run, but you can never hide. . Because I'm the one going to win this game. _There were more laughs emitting from his mouth before he quieted as he buried his hands in another jar of strawberry jam.

The winner of this round? A draw.

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_**This will probably be the shortest chapter. No kidding. I just couldn't find anything to put in here that was going to be significant enough, other then introducing Kira on the scene.**_


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